Chapter 58: Riftstone

Elias raised his head and looked at the shimmering barrier before him, and beyond its translucent surface he could see another forest that looked remarkably similar to the one he had just crossed.

The enormous trees continued beyond the boundary, their twisted branches disappearing beneath the gray sky, but no matter how closely Elias examined the barrier, he couldn’t find any opening through which he could pass.

He stepped closer and cautiously placed his palm against it.

The surface rippled like water beneath his touch, sending faint waves of light outward from his hand, yet neither warmth nor coldness was coming from it.

Elias slowly withdrew his hand and lowered his gaze toward the ground.

’Riftstone.’

According to everything he had learned, Riftstone usually formed naturally around the boundaries of spatial rifts, although not every stone or mineral could transform into it.

The most obvious sign was the transparent cracks running through its surface, and those cracks weren’t empty; instead, they were filled with the same shimmering material that composed the rift’s barrier.

That strange substance was what gave Riftstone its unique properties.

Elias narrowed his eyes and began walking alongside the barrier, carefully examining the ground beneath the grass, roots, and scattered rubble.

"Come on," he mumbled as he searched. "Where is it?"

He continued for several minutes before finally spotting something protruding from beneath a patch of soil.

Elias’s eyes immediately brightened.

"There!"

He crouched beside the exposed stone and brushed away the dirt covering its surface. A pale-gray chunk emerged from the ground, and several translucent cracks stretched across it like frozen lightning.

The shimmering material inside those cracks immediately confirmed what it was.

"Riftstone," Elias whispered.

He reached into his Inventory and summoned Lastbane.

The silver sword appeared in his hand, and Elias carefully positioned the blade against the portion of Riftstone protruding from the ground before applying force.

Slash!

The sword passed through the mineral almost effortlessly.

Elias blinked before looking at the cut surface.

"That was easy."

Riftstone was extremely durable once refined, but its natural state was considerably easier to harvest, and Lastbane’s absurd sharpness made the process even simpler.

Elias grabbed the severed chunk and stored it inside his Inventory before standing.

However, just as he was about to turn away, another thought crossed his mind.

"Even though the number of spatial rifts has increased, Riftstone should still be rare," he mumbled, glancing at the shimmering stone in his Inventory. "I can take more of it and sell it for gold."

His expression became thoughtful.

The full support he was supposed to receive from the Ducal Clan was practically nonexistent.

He needed money.

Fortunately, Riftstone was one of the many materials that could be sold easily in the outside world because blacksmiths, researchers, potion brewers, and formation masters constantly required resources from spatial rifts. Most of them, however, preferred purchasing such materials rather than risking their lives by entering dangerous rifts themselves.

Elias glanced toward the ruined city.

"They should be able to keep themselves alive for that long," he mumbled.

He had already killed several Dark Thorns without suffering any serious injuries, so there was little reason to believe the others would immediately encounter something capable of killing them.

With that thought, Elias returned toward his previous position along the barrier and began harvesting more Riftstone.

Meanwhile, deeper inside the ruined city, Smith, Charles, and Jessie moved cautiously through streets filled with broken stone, collapsed walls, and thick vegetation that had grown over the remains of ancient buildings.

"Stay close," Smith mumbled as he kept his sword drawn and vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

Charles nodded while Jessie swallowed nervously.

The three continued forward, stepping around chunks of rubble and occasionally glancing toward the dark windows of abandoned buildings.

Then Smith suddenly raised a hand.

A faint clicking sound had reached his ears.

"Wait," he whispered.

Charles immediately stopped, while Jessie tightened his grip around his sword.

Smith lowered his body and quietly approached a broken wall before crouching behind it. He slowly leaned toward the edge and peered into the street on the right.

His eyes widened.

Something was standing in the middle of the ruined street.

It was humanoid, but only barely.

Its back was hunched forward unnaturally, while dark, rusted armor plates appeared to have grown directly into its pale body. The armor looked ancient and corroded, yet it remained firmly attached to the creature as though it were part of its flesh.

Its arms were long and disturbingly thin, ending in enormous curved blades that resembled scythes.

Its legs were bent like those of a beast, giving its entire body a strange, predatory posture.

Pale white skin stretched across its exposed limbs, while two lifeless eyes stared forward without blinking.

Its jaw was blunt and almost featureless, making the creature’s appearance even more unnatural.

[Image]

Smith’s throat went dry.

’What is this thing?’

He slowly leaned back behind the wall.

Charles noticed his expression and whispered, "What did you see?"

Smith raised one finger to his lips. "Quiet."

Jessie stared at him nervously before lowering his voice.

"Is it a monster?"

Smith nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"How strong?" Charles asked.

Smith peeked around the wall again, and the creature had already begun moving.

Click.

Its scythe-like claws scraped against the stone pavement as it walked, producing a horrible metallic sound that echoed through the empty streets.

Smith’s face became pale.

"I don’t know," he whispered.

The creature suddenly stopped and slightly tilted its head.

Smith froze as the monster’s lifeless eyes shifted toward the broken wall.

His heart hammered against his chest.

Suddenly, the monster’s bent legs compressed against the ground before it lunged forward.

"Run!" Smith shouted.

They immediately scattered.

The creature’s scythe smashed into the wall where Smith had been standing.

BOOM!

Stone exploded outward, sending fragments across the street.

Smith stumbled backward and raised his sword just in time to block another sweeping strike.

CLANG!

The impact forced him several steps backward, his knees buckled, and his arms trembled violently.

"It is strong!" he shouted.

Charles swung his sword toward the creature’s exposed side, but the rusted armor absorbed the blow with a harsh metallic screech.

The monster twisted around and slashed.

Charles ducked just in time, and the curved blade passed above his head before cutting deeply into the stone behind him.

Jessie stared in horror.

"We cannot fight this!"

"Then do not!" Smith yelled. "Run!"

The three began running through the ruined street as the monster pursued them, its scythe-like hands repeatedly smashing into walls and pillars while chunks of stone crashed onto the ground around them.

Elsewhere, on another side of the ruined city, Dane, Ravy, and Lorey stood before a different scene.

A skeleton lay against the remains of a collapsed structure.

Its bones were partially covered by broken pieces of dark, rusted armor, while the bones of its hands were unusually long and curved into shapes resembling enormous scythes.

Ravy stared at the remains with trembling eyes.

"W-What is this?" he stuttered.

Dane didn’t answer and simply stared at the skeleton with a pale face.